Machine for clipping and bending the twigs and limb of artificial tree branches

ABSTRACT

One or more twig garlands are fed, cut and assembled to one end portion of a limb garland. The other end portion of the limb garland is bent by the machine at a suitable angle for entrance into an inclined hole in a tree trunk. The twig garlands are also bent by the machine smoothly, curvilineally and progresively throughout the lengths thereof after being cut and clipped to the limb garland.

United States Patent Kent ( Sept. 26, 1972 [54] MACHINE FOR CLIPPING AND BENDING THE TWIGS AND LIMB OF ARTIFICIAL TREE BRANCHES [72] Inventor: Stephen D. Kent, Newburgh, NY.

[73] Assignee: R. 0. Kent Corp., Newburgh, NY.

[22] Filed: April 23, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 136,770

[52] US. Cl. ..29/208 D [51] Int. Cl. ..B23p 19/04 [58] Field of Search ..29/208 D, 429, 419, 208 R,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,504,423 4/1970 Kraszeski et al. ..29/208 D X Primary Examiner-Thomas H. Eager Attorney-Harry Jacobson [57] ABSTRACT One or more twig garlands are fed, cut and assembled to one end portion of a limb garland. The other end portion of the limb garland is bent by the machine at a suitable angle for entrance into an inclined hole in a tree trunk. The twig garlands are also bent by the machine smoothly, curvilineally and progresively throughout the lengths thereof after being cut and clipped to the limb garland.

10 Claims, 20 Drawing Figures mtmcusevz I912 3.693; 233

SHEET 2 0F 3 ll' in!" IN VEN TOR.

Stephen D. Kent Y ATTORNEY MACHINE FOR CLIPPING AND BENDING THE TWIGS AND LIMB F ARTIFICIAL TREE BRANCHES This invention is an improvement on U.S. Pat. No. 3,504,423 for Apparatus and Method for Making Artificial Tree Branches, of which patent I am a co-inventor, and relates particularly to the means for curving the twig garlands and bending the end of the limb garland.

The branch made by the machine is of the type disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,818 wherein the end portions of a number of twig garlands are clipped to one end portion of a heavier limb garland by means of a suitable banding metal clip, the twigs being bent along a suitable curve. The other end portion of the limb garland is sharply bent for the purpose of insertion into an inclined hole in the trunk (not shown) of an artificial tree.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a simple and efficient machine for making a complete branch including means for bending the twig garlands and the end of the limb garland as the final steps in making the branch.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the machine.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view thereof with parts in vertical section.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the garland feeder.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the vise at the fastening station, showing the clipper jaws diagrammatically.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the means for bending the leading end of the limb garland.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the same in the position for receiving for receiving the end of the limb garland.

FIG. 7 is a similar view of the bending block in the position assumed thereby on completion of the limb bending operation.

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the means for curving the twig garland.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the same.

FIGS. 10 through 19 are respective diagrammatical vertical sectional views of the machine showing the various steps in the assembly and fastening of the garlands, the bending of the leading end of the limb garland and the curving of the twig garlands from the insertion of the limb garland into the bending block through the removal of the finished branch.

FIG. 20 is an elevational view of the finished branch made by the machine.

In the embodiment of the machine shown by way of example, the assembling and clipping machine of U.S. Pat. No. 3,504,423 is combined with garland bending means not only to assemble, but also to shape the garland and thereby to form the complete branch of U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,818, automatically. Reference is made to both of said patents for a detailed description of the assembling machine and the branch.

As shown, a set, such as three, of long twig garlands 30 are preferably of the known type comprising wire and colored plastic fringe twisted together to form flexible needles 31 supported by the wires 32. The garlands are fed simultaneously and preferably horizontally in the direction of the arrow 33 of FIG. 1 through suitable flared tubes as 34 in sufficient transverse spaced relation to each other to avoid interference or damage to the relatively fragile needles. When the end portions of the garlands reach a fastening station, the advance of the garlands is temporarily halted while the garlands are fastened by a clipper to the end portion of a limb garland swung into said station, and the twig garlands are cut to the desired lengths.

To position the limb garland, one end thereof is inserted into an oscillatory bending block, which after swinging the other end of the limb garland into the fastening station where said other end is halted, continues its movement of the inserted end which it holds thereby to bend said inserted end.

The cut twig garlands are shaped by a roller which swings in an arcuate path and presses the twig garlands between the roller and a fixed-convex shaping member curved to correspond to the curved path of the roller, thereby to bend the twig garlands permanently and beyond the elastic limit thereof.

In greater detail, during their advance by the feeder later to be described, the twig garlands pass between the movable upper blade 35 and the fixed lower blade 36 of a suitable clamp. Said upper blade is reciprocated vertically by the air cylinder 39 of the clamp 38. The frame 41 of the clamp is fixed to the rails 40, and guides the blade 35 during the up and down movement of the latter. From the clamp, the garlands pass through holes in the blades of a cutter assembly 42 having a frame 43 mounted for horizontal reciprocation on the rails 40. One blade 44 of said cutter is fixed to its frame while the other blade 45 is secured to the piston rod of the pneumatic cylinder 48. The blades 44 and 45 are perforated by means of the similar tapered holes 51 and 52 respectively, the inner edges of which are cutting edges arranged at the cutting station to sever the twig gar lands passed through the holes, at the proper time. The cutter frame is reciprocated horizontally along the rails 40 by the air cylinder 56 from a point near the clamp 38 (FIG. 14) to the cutting station 53 after the advance of the twig garlands the required distance past said station. It will be understood that the leading end parts of the garlands are retained in the cutter holes 51 and 52 after cutting, whereby the garlands are positioned for engagement by the blades of the retracting feeder 54 when the cutter is retracted. (FIG. 16).

Similarly to the clamp and cutter, the feeder comprises a fixed blade 57 (FIG. 3) and a transversely movable blade 58 reciprocating vertically toward and from the fixed blade, the groove 59 in the feeder frame 60 guiding the movable blade. The frame 60 also carries the air cylinder to reciprocate the blade 58 and is attached to the air cylinder 63 which reciprocates the frame horizontally along the rails 40, toward and from the banding or clipping station 61 at which the clipper 62 is arranged. The blades 57, 58 are closed on the twig garlands only on the advancing stroke of the feeder, which readily grasps the leading ends of the garlands which project beyond the retracted cutter on the return stroke of the feeder. (FIGS. 10 and 16-19).

To clip the leading end portions of the twig garlands to the trailing end portion of a limb garland positioned at the fastening station, a well known sheet metal clip is preferably closed or clinched by the conventional clipper 62. Said clipper first advances a clip from its magazine 50, then seats the clip around the bundle of garland wires and then closes the clip. The garland ends are held by two pairs of suitably shaped thin vise jaws 68 and 69 at two longitudinally spaced apart points between which the clip is placed by the clipper 62.

(FIG. 4). Air cylinders 70 and 71 slide the respective jaws transversely past each other into gripping and compressing engagement with end parts of the garlands and hold them during and after the clipping operation while the air cylinder 74 operates the clipper at the proper time. Overlapping of the ends of the twig and limb garlands 67 at the clipping station, while preferred, is not essential.

In the form of the machine shown, limb garlands which have been pre-cut to length, are properly positioned by the machine at the clipping station and the end bent, the machine also curvilineally shaping the twig garlands. As illustrated, the limb end bending means comprises the oscillatory block 75 (FIGS. 7 and 10) for receiving the end portion of the limb garland in the blind hole 76 which is flared at its outer end 77. The block is fixed to the oscillatory stub shafts 78 in the block support 79 which is adjustable longitudinally to process branch limbs differing in length. The adjusting means for the support 79 may take different forms.

As shown in FIG. 1, said support is mounted on the auxiliary frame 80 which in turn can be adjusted along and secured to the rails 40 by means of the hand operated set screws 81. In the form shown in FIGS. 57, the support 79 is slotted at 82 for the passage of bolts 83 into a fixed part of the machine. The base of the support 79 is also cut away to permit the block 75 to swing therethrough into the position shown in FIG. 7. The curvature or sharpness of the bend made by the block 75 depends not only on how far the block is swung but also on the spacing and dimensions of the parts of the bending mechanism, regardless of the adjustment. It will be understood that the machine may be adjusted to cut twig garlands of various lengths. The stroke of the feeder 54 (FIG. 11) determines the length of the twig garland. Said stroke is adjusted by changing the stroke of the cylinder 63. This may also require the adjustment of the position of the clipping station 61 along the rails as well as the adjustment of the auxiliary frame 80.

At the end of the cycle of operations and the beginning of the next one and while the block 75 is at rest, the operator removes any finished branch (FIG. 18) from the block (FIG. 19) and inserts a limb garland into the hole 76 (FIG. 10). Either the twig or the limb garland may be the first to be advanced into the clipping station. As shown (FIG. 11), the feeder 54 advances the twig garlands to arrange the leading ends thereof at the clipping station and the block 75 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed in FIGS. 2, 5 and 11 through the proper angle together with its limb garland into the position shown in FIGS. 7 and 12-17. That part of the block to the left of the stub shafts moves downwardly to swing the limb garland downwardly until it is halted by its contact with the cross bar or fulcrum 84 on the base of the support 79. That part of the garland on the other side of the stub shafts and received in the hole moves upwardly and continues to move after the remainder of the garland has been halted by the fulcrum bar 84. Consequently, a relatively sharp bend is formed at the end part of the garland within the flared part 77 of the block hole. The air cylinder 72 oscillates the block, swinging it back to its initial position (FIGS. l8, l9, l0 and 11) after the twig garlands have been fastened and curved. Said cylinder is pivotally supported at one end as (FIG. 2) by a depending portion 80a of the auxiliary frame 80, or as shown in FIGS. 5 by a fixed part of the machine. The piston rod of the cylinder is pivoted to the block as by the yoke 73.

After all the garlands are in place at the clipping station and the vise jaws 68, 69 (FIG. 4) have compressed them and the clipper 62 has banded them (FIG. 13) and the cutter 42 has cut the twig garlands, the vise jaws continue to hold the garlands until the feeder 54 and the cutter 42 are retracted (FIG. 16) and the twigs are curved (FIG. 17). Such Retraction requires the separation or opening of the feeder blades 57 and 58 but after the ends of the long garlands have entered the space between the blades, said blades close again to grip the twig garlands in readiness (FIG. 17) for the repetition of the cycle of operations.

The trailing ends of the cut twig garlands are free after the cutting operation to permit continuous smooth curvilinear shaping of said garlands. As best seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the shaping means comprises the fixed anvil-like element 86 shown in the form of a substantially rigid sheet having an outer convex surface 87 and suitably supported by an extension 88 of the shaper frame 89. Arranged adjacent to but not necessarily at the center of curvature of the surface 86 is the shaft 90 mounted in the upright walls of the shaper frame and carrying the roller arms 91 fixed to the shaft 90 on opposite sides of the element 86. On the rod 92, passing through the slots 93 in said arms and adjustably fixed therein, is the bending roller 94 which cooperates with the convex surface 87 to shape the twig garlands. To oscillate the shaft 90, the arms 91 and the roller 94, the pinion 95 on said shaft meshes with the rack 96 which is reciprocated by the air cylinder 97. Arms 91 and rod 92 constitute the roller frame.

The cut twig garlands extend between and project over the element 86 and the roller 94. On the operative stroke of the rack 96, the roller swings counterclockwise as viewed in FIGS. 8 and 16 and contacts the wires of the twig garlands to curve said wires progressively and continuously and smoothly throughout the major part of the length thereof or as much of said length as is desired. The path of the roller need not necessarily be precisely concentric with the surface 87. It suffices if the roller comes into contact with the garland wires at a predetermined point in the length of the garlands. Preferably, the roller pivot is so arranged that the roller is spaced away from the garland wires. Said wires are usually of the soft steel or low carbon steel type and are bent by the roller beyond the elastic limit thereof to retain their curved shape when released by the roller. The convex surface 87 serves to produce a decorative sweeping curve in the garlands instead of the sharp ugly bend or the lack of a permanent bend likely to occur in its absence. Generally, the curvature of said surface corresponds more or less to that of the path of the bending roller. When, however, the roller rod and roller are adjusted along the arm slots 93, the

radius of the roller path is altered. When so adjusted, the roller first exerts bending pressure on the garlands at a point nearer or further from the curving element as the case may be, thereby to increase or decrease the radius of curvature impressed upon the twig garlands.

It will now be seen that the machine disclosed herein automatically and efiiciently assembles, fastens, cuts and bends the garlands of an artificial branch and that the objects of the invention have been adequately attained.

While certain specific forms of the invention have herein been shown and described, various obvious changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine for making artificial tree branches from twig and limb garlands, feeding means for advancing at least one relatively long twig garland to a fastening station, means for swinging one end of a limb garland into said stationand for bending said end into angular relation to the remainder of the limb garland and clipping means at said fastening station for fastening end portions of the garlands together.

2. The machine of claim 1, means for cutting said long twig garland and means for curvilineally bending the cut twig garland along the length thereof relatively to the limb garland.

3. The machine of claim 2, the twig garland bending means comprising a fixed convexly shaped element, a roller, and an oscillatory frame carrying the roller along a path sufficiently close to the surface of said element to exert bending pressure progressively along the length of said twig garland.

4. The machine of claim 2, the twig garland bending means comprising a roller, a fixed curved element arranged inwardly of the path of said roller and adapted to cooperate therewith, and means for swinging said roller about a pivot in spaced relation to the axis of said roller thereby to bend a twig garland projecting over said element between said element and said roller smoothly and progressively along the length of the twig garland and beyond the elastic limit thereof.

5. The machine of claim 1, the means for swinging and bending the limb garland comprising an oscillatory member having a blind hole therein, the hole being flared at the open end thereof, a pivot for said member, a fixed fulcrum adjacent said member and means for oscillating said member, said hole extending past said pivot in a direction away from said fulcrum.

6. The machine of claim 5, the means for advancing the twig garland arranging an end portion of the twig garland at the fastening station in overlapping relation to the end portion of the limb garland at said station,

means for cutting the twig garland to length and means for curvilineally bending the cut twig garland.

7. The machine of claim 5, means for cutting the twig garland and means for shaping the cut twig garland comprising a roller, an oscillatory frame carrying the roller atone end of the frame, a shaft for and adjacent the other end of the frame, means for oscillating the shaft, a fixed generally convex shaping element arranged inwardly of the path of the roller and adapted to cooperate therewith to permanently bend into curvulinear fonn a twig garland projecting over said element and arranged between said element and said roller.

8. The machine of claim 4, the pivot for the roller swinging means being a shaft and rack and pinion means for oscillating said shaft, the means for swinging the limb garland comprising an oscillatory block, a

pivot for and adjacent one end of the block, said block having a hole therein extending past the pivot in both directions for the reception of one end portion of the limb garland and a fixed stop member adjacent the block and in the path of the limb garland to halt movement in one direction of that part of the limb garland on one side of said pivot while the block continues to move the end portion of the limb garland held thereby and on the other side of said pivot thereby to bend said end portion, movement of the block in the other direction swinging the clipped and shaped branch out of the clipping means and into position for removal from the hole in the block.

9. In a machine for making artificial tree branches, positioning means for the end portions of relatively long twig garlands and of one end portion of a limb garland in overlapping relation, means for clipping together said overlapping end portions, means for receiving therein, for holding and for bending the other end portion of the limb garland into angular relation to the remainder of the limb garland, means for cutting the twig garlands to length and means for curvilineally bending the cut twig garlands throughout the lengths thereof.

10. The machine of claim 9, the clipping means clamping an encompassing fastener around the overlapping end portions of the garlands, the means for receiving holding and bending the end portion of the limb garland comprising a pivoted block having a hole therein and a fixed fulcrum member adjacent to and cooperating with said block, the means for bending the twig garlands comprising an oscillatory member exerting pressure upon and beyond the elastic limit of the twig garlands and a generally convex fixed anvil-like element cooperating with the oscillatory member and shaped correspondingly to the path given to said member. 

1. In a machine for making artificial tree branches from twig and limb garlands, feeding means for advancing at least one relatively long twig garland to a fastening station, means for swinging one end of a limb garland into said station and for bending said end into angular relation to the remainder of the limb garland and clipping means at said fastening station for fastening end portions of the garlands together.
 2. The machine of claim 1, means for cutting said long twig garland and means for curvilineally bending the cut twig garland along the length thereof relatively to the limb garland.
 3. The machine of claim 2, the twig garland bending means comprising a fixed convexly shaped element, a roller, and an oscillatory frame carrying the roller along a path sufficiently close to the surface of said element to exert bending pressure progressively along the length of said twig garland.
 4. The machine of claim 2, the twig garland bending means comprising a roller, a fixed curved element arranged inwardly of the path of said roller and adapted to cooperate therewith, and means for swinging said roller about a pivot in spaced relation to the axis of said roller thereby to bend a twig garland projecting over said element between said element and said roller smoothly and progressively along the length of the twig garland and beyond the elastic limit thereof.
 5. The machine of claim 1, the means for swinging and bending the limb garland comprising an oscillatory member having a blind hole therein, the hole being flared at the open end thereof, a pivot for said member, a fixed fulcrum adjacent said member and means for oscillating said member, said hole extending past said pivot in a direction away from said fulcrum.
 6. The machine of claim 5, the means for advancing the twig garland arranging an end portion of the twig garland at the fastening station in overlapping relation to the end portion of the limb garland at said station, means for cutting the twig garland to length and means for curvilineally bending the cut twig garland.
 7. The machine of claim 5, means for cutting the twig garland and means for shaping the cut twig garland comprising a roller, an oscillatory frame carrying the roller at one end of the frame, a shaft for and adjacent the other end of the frame, means for oscillating the shaft, a fixed generally convex shaping element arranged inwardly of the path of the roller and adapted to cooperate therewith to permanently bend into curvulinear form a twig garland projecting over said element and arranged between said element and said roller.
 8. The machine of claim 4, the pivot for the roller swinging means being a shaft and rack and pinion means for oscillating said shaft, the means for swinging the limb garland comprising an oscillatory block, a pivot for and adjacent one end of the block, said block having a hole therein extending past the pivot in both directions for the reception of one end portion of the limb garland and a fixed stop member adjacent the block and in the path of the limb garland to halt movement in one direction of that part of the limb garland on one side of said pivot while the block continues to move the end portion of the limb garland held thereby and on the other side of said pivot thereby to bend said end portion, movement of the block in the other direction swinging the clipped and shaped branch out of the clipping means and into position for removal from the hole in the block.
 9. In a machine for making artificial tree branches, positioning means for the end portions of relatively long twig garlands and of one end portion of a limb garland in overlapping relation, means for clipping together said overlapping end portions, means for receiving therein, for holding and for bending the other end portion of the limb garland into angular relation to the remainder of the limb garland, means for cutting the twig garlands to length and means for curvilineally bending the cut twig garlands throughout the lengths thereof.
 10. The machine of claim 9, the clipping means clamping an encompassing fastener around the overlapping end portions of the garlands, the means for receiving holding and bending the end portion of the limb garland comprising a pivoted block having a hole therein and a fixed fulcrum member adjacent to and cooperating with said block, the means for bending the twig garlands comprising an oscillatory member exerting pressure upon and beyond the elastic limit of the twig garlands and a generally convex fixed anvil-like element cooperating with the oscillatory member and shaped correspondingly to the path given to said member. 